Technological Dystopia: Hindered Democratization of Technology in Margaret Atwood’s The Heart Goes Last
Abstract
Margaret Atwood constructs a chaotic and disorderly dystopian society in The Heart Goes Last, where the technology is turned into a tool for manipulation, exploitation, and objectification of people. This article attempts to analyze the undemocratic use of technology depicted in the Positron project and the obstacles it poses to the development of technological democracy from the perspective of Andrew Feenberg’s critical theory of technology. The article analyzes the undemocratic technology in the book from both the physical and mental aspects, arguing that it strengthens control and surveillance over citizens’ bodies and manipulates their mental world, severely violating citizens’ human rights. Atwood portrays the social problems resulting from the obstacles to democratization of technology in the book, revealing that undemocratic use of technology brings not well-being but deeper disasters. This rings an alarm bell in the context of rapid scientific and technological development, prompting people to reflect on how to better use technology for the benefit of humanity and promote democratization of technology.
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